AN: Thanks as always to our ladies kitchmill, Judy and Mana. They make this story so much prettier for you all.

BPOV

"Rose! I'm not sure how to wear my hair." I'm rushing to get ready and I'm a basket case. Edward is taking me to meet his mom for the first time. They come from money, so I want to make a good impression.

"Calm down." Rose leads me over to a chair and sits me down. She grabs the brush and starts with my hair. She ends up pulling half of it back and clipping it up. I jump up and run to the mirror.

"I could've done that."

"Thanks, Rose. This looks nice, Rose. I appreciate your help, Rose." She crosses her arms and raises that damn brow.

Smiling at her, I run over and hug her. "Thanks, Rose. It really does look nice, Rose. I do appreciate your help, Rose. I'm sorry I'm being a bitch, Rose."

She rolls her eyes. "Don't worry about it. Seriously though, you look great. They're going to love you. Plus, you've already met everyone except Mama Cullen."

"I know, but mothers are always the most important. Trust me, some men have crazy attachments to their mothers. If she hates me, Edward may never want to see me again."

Rose looks around.

"What the fuck are you looking for? I'm trying to talk to you."

"I'm looking for my friend Bella. She's about yay tall"—she holds her hand up to her chin—"she's badass, doesn't take shit from anyone, and is a confidant woman."

Now I roll my eyes. "Okay, you've made your point." I take a deep breath and stand up tall. "Tonight's going to be great. And even if it's not, Edward loves me no matter what."

She steps in front of me and picks a piece of lint from my dress. "Now there's the Bella I know."

The doorbell sounds and it's Edward. Time to go.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

I'm still a bit nervous as we walk up to the door, but Rose is right. I'm not about to let this situation unnerve me. I've been through much worse. I faced a murderer in court. I've got this. After all, I've already met Alice, Whitlock and Edward's dad, Carlisle.

We pull up to a large house that looks like something I've only seen in movies. It's all stone and glass. I'm pretty sure only Edward's parents live here, so I'm not quite sure why they need such a big home, but whatever makes them happy I suppose.

Once we're at the door, he opens it without knocking and guides me in with his hand on my lower back. He continues to lead me further into the house, and we end up in the living room. My eyes immediately fall on Dr. Cullen sitting on one end of the couch. Then I look over and see a woman who must be Edward's mother sitting on the other end. They both stand as we come fully into the room.

Dr. Cullen's eyes definitely grow wider as he realizes who I am and that I'm here with his son. He quickly gets control of himself. "Edward, son, it's good to see you. Miss Higginbotham, it's nice to see you again." His dad extends his hand to his son for a shake and back pat.

Then we turn toward Mrs. Cullen. She comes rushing right up to Edward. "Oh, baby boy, I'm so glad you came. I feel like I never see you anymore." They hug and he pulls back before grabbing my hand and pulling me closer. "Mom, this is Bella. Bella, this is my mom, Esme Cullen. You've already met my dad."

"Hi, Mrs. Cullen. Good to see you again, Dr. Cullen."

His mom straightens her shirt and smoothes her hair as she stares at me, appraising me no doubt. I stand at my full height and meet her eyes. I may not be exactly what she envisioned for her son, but I'm good for him and I love him. Hopefully she'll see that.

She extends her hand for a quick limp shake. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Bella. If you'll excuse me, I need to go check on lunch. Please make yourself comfortable."

As she heads out of the room, I can't help but think that it didn't go well. I didn't know what to expect, but that wasn't really it. Before I can continue to brood anymore, Carlisle motions for us to sit so we all grab a seat. The silence is uncomfortable until finally Edward breaks it. "So, how's the clinic going, Dad?"

"Good. Really good. I'm enjoying it a lot. It's nice not to be as busy as I used to be in the city, but I still feel like I'm helping."

They make idle chit chat before we hear a voice yelling through the house, "We're here!"

We all hop up and head toward the entrance to the home. As soon as she sees us, Alice, who's just arrived with Whitlock, runs over and gives Edward and me each a hug. Then she does the same with her dad before heels click and Mrs. Cullen comes down the hall.

She gives her daughter a hug before admonishing her. "Allison, must you yell? I've asked you not to do that."

Alice rolls her eyes before giving an insincere apology. She pulls Jasper closer, much like Edward did with me. "Dad, Mom, meet Jasper Whitlock, my boyfriend."

After more chit chat, this time between everyone, we all end up sitting at a huge table filled with all kinds of yummy food.

"Mom, this all looks really good," Edward pipes up as soon as we're all seated.

"Mrs. Cullen, this looks amazing. You must have been working on this all day." Jasper kisses a little ass.

As she spreads the napkin out across her lap, she smiles. "Thank you, boys, but I'm afraid I can't take the credit. Edward, you know my cooking isn't this good." She laughs lightly and looks to Jasper. "We have a cook we use on certain occasions and felt this would be an appropriate one."

"Yes, my wife is wonderful at many things, but cooking isn't necessarily one of them." Carlisle teases his wife, but the look on his face is only devotion. Clearly they are still very much in love.

"Bella, I still want to take you out to celebrate as soon as you have some free time. And don't forget, I expect you to drop by the boutique." Alice just opened up her boutique and has been bugging me to come in. She's even threatened to make me model some of her designs for her.

"I promise I'm going to visit. I really hate that I missed your grand opening, but it was my day to work, and we'll definitely need to get together for that celebration."

"No sweat. I know my brother will make sure you come by soon, right, big brother?" She makes puppy dog eyes at him.

"Sure. Anything for you, baby sister," he tells her in that sarcastic voice he seems to save for her.

"What are you celebrating, may I ask?" Dr. Cullen asks politely.

I put my utensils down. "I passed the test to get my GED and I started a new job working at the shelter. And of course Alice's grand opening."

"That's great, Bella. Congratulations." Dr. Cullen seems genuinely happy for me.

"Your GED? How old are you, Bella, if you don't mind my asking," Mrs. Cullen says.

"Mom, you of all people should know you never ask a woman her age," Alice interjects.

"It's fine, Alice. I'm almost twenty." I swear she gasps. She was at the trial for a bit, but it was before I testified, so I'm not sure how much she knows about me.

"Twenty? Oh, that's very young." She turns to Edward. "That's very young."

He smirks and gazes at me with a look that very much mimics what his father gave his mother. "Yes, it is pretty young. Bella's very mature for her age, though. She's lived a lot in her short years."

"How did you two meet?" Uh oh. The million dollar question. I let Edward take this one.

"Mom, Bella is the woman I've been guarding."

Her eyes grow huge. "The prostitute?" If my heart wasn't in my throat, I'd almost want to laugh as she whispers the word "prostitute," like it can't be said at normal volume.

"Former prostitute, yes. But Bella is so much more than that. She's a wonderful woman, and I'm very lucky she agreed to go out with me."

He reaches out and squeezes my hand. I squeeze his back, but hope he recognizes by my glare that I will kick his ass for this later. He should have warned his parents about who he was bringing and already told them about me.

A silence settles over the table. Mrs. Cullen looks like she's completely in shock. Dr. Cullen goes back to eating while darting his eyes over to his wife every few seconds. Whitlock and Edward also resume eating. I guess that's a guy thing.

Poor, sweet Alice keeps opening her mouth like she wants to say something, most likely trying to think of something to lighten things up.

I've lost my appetite so I just watch everyone else. It might be amusing under other circumstances … if it weren't my ass in the hot seat, so to speak.

Finally Mrs. Cullen clears her throat and meets my eyes, fake society smile plastered on her face. "So, Bella, are you with my son for money?"

"Mom!" Edward immediately starts to stand. I reach out and grab his arm, stopping him. I tug a little, getting him to take his seat again.

"It's fine, Edward. I'm happy to answer any questions your mother has." I turn back to Mrs. Cullen. "No, ma'am. I wasn't even aware that Edward came from money for quite a while. I thought he was simply a detective doing his job, and I'm well aware that detectives don't make that much. Also, if I were only interested in money, I've had plenty of opportunities to be with someone for only their bank account."

Now she turns to Edward. "Are you with her for the sex?" Again, she whispers the word "sex" like it's a bad word.

Edward's face pales and he looks mortified. "No! I'm with her because she's an amazing woman. She's loving, funny, she puts me in my place and she's the strongest person I've ever met."

I melt a little as he talks. I wish I had him alone right now. I can't look away from him until his mother clears her throat again, calling my attention back to her.

"So why are you with him?"

I have to answer this honestly. "He's a good man. He's brave and strong. He's never judged me or treated me like less than human. He's a hard worker, but for the right reasons. He genuinely wants to help people. He's got the kindest heart of anyone I've ever met. I also won't deny that he's gorgeous. Why wouldn't I want to be with him? I'd be a fool not to, and regardless of what anyone thinks, I'm not a fool."

From the corner of my eye, I catch Edward staring at me. Meeting his eyes, his face shows nothing but total adoration. No matter what happens here in this house, he and I will be fine. Better than fine.

Tearing myself away from him to look back at his mother, a soft look is on her face for the first time. "Well, son, I can see now why none of the women I've tried to set you up with ever worked."

"Yeah, because they were airheads and only cared about what he had in his pants and wallet," Alice pipes up, which earns her a look from her mother and a grateful smile from her brother.

Mrs. Cullen moves her attention back to me. "My son is a good man, and any woman would be lucky to have him. Hopefully you're sincere, and if you are, we'll have no trouble. All I want is for my children to be happy. I will be keeping my eye on you, though."

"Mother. I'm a grown man, not to mention an officer of the law. I don't need you to look out for me," Edward says.

"Edward, dear, one thing you'll see someday if you're ever blessed with children is that no matter how old they are, where they are in life, they will always be your babies and you will always do whatever you can to protect them."

They continue to lightly bicker back and forth a bit, but I'm stuck on what she just said. She may be a bit bitchy and snobby, but Mrs. Cullen seems like a good mother.

"Ma'am." My voice is slightly raised, making sure I'm heard. "I definitely can't promise to be perfect and I'm sure I will do things to upset him, but I'll be good to him."

"We couldn't ask for more." This time it's Dr. Cullen who speaks.

The attention switches a bit to Whitlock and Alice. It's fun to see Mr. Internal Affairs actually sweat a little and be on the other end of an interrogation. My appetite comes back, and it's nice to sit and enjoy a meal while watching the scene in front of me, at least now that I'm not a part of it. Even Dr. Cullen gets in on questioning the man dating his baby girl.

My eyes, as they so often do, make their way over to Edward, who is also watching his sister and Whitlock get grilled. He must sense me looking since he turns toward me. He gives me a wink and everything is great. Any remaining tension I held melts away.

Finally, the evening is over and we're back in the safety of Edward's car heading home. Overall, things really went pretty well, and I may have a small crush on Dr. Cullen now. The man is a total DILF. And I can clearly see where his son gets his charm from him.

We arrive back at the house before I even notice. "So … are you okay? I'm so sorry about my mom. She's really a good person. She just grew up around old money and has all of these ideas …"

I reach over and place my hand over his lips. "Baby, it's fine. I wish I would have known ahead of time that they didn't know who you were bringing, and you will be punished for that, but I'll never fault her for being worried or caring about you. You and Alice are really lucky to have such good parents."

He removes my hand from his mouth and holds it between both of his. "You have a shitty mother, baby. She never deserved you. And I'm sure you don't really want to hear it, but you have the chance to have a father. The impression you have of him is bad, and most of that was his fault. But he's a good man, and he cares for you."

My head thumps back against the headrest behind me. "You say he's a good man. Rose likes him. But he took you away from me, he hid the fact that he might be my father and he's basically been an ass almost every time I've met him. How am I supposed to ignore that?"

"Okay, first of all, you have to stop looking at it as he took me away. I screwed up. I broke rules. He would've been well within his rights to fire me. I would've been removed no matter who you were to him, and as much as it hurt us, he did his job."

This time it's his hand over my mouth as I start to speak.

"Hold on. Let me finish. Second, yes, he fucked up. He could've handled things differently. He should have. But there were so many other things going on. And no one says you need to ignore anything. Just maybe talk to him. Listen to his reasons. If nothing else he can tell you more about your family, where you come from. No one will blame you if you can never see him as a father or even a friend."

My hands are back in his and there's only love on his face. He will never judge me no matter what I decide. "I'm scared. I've pictured finding my father so many times and it was never like this. And what if he isn't my father? There's just so much to consider."

"How about this: first thing we do is make sure he is your father. That doesn't mean you have to make any other decisions or start buying him Father's Day gifts. But it will answer one question, and then you'll know."

Taking a deep breath, I steel myself for what I'm about to agree to. "Okay. I think the test is a good idea."

That earns me some serious kissing. By the time I finally pull away the windows are steamy. He immediately tries to pull me back. "Where are you going? Bring those lips back."

"Uh uh uh. You've convinced me that I deserve to be wooed, so no nookie from me yet. I'm actually quite enjoying being wined and dined without the sixty-nine."

He reaches down and adjusts himself. "I'm glad you're enjoying it now. You deserve to be treated like the most precious thing in the world, because that's what you are to me. But you're just so damn sexy. This is much harder than I expected."

My eyes go to the large bulge in his pants. "I can tell it's … hard for you baby." I lick my lips. "But just think of how good it's going to be when we finally give in."

"Okay, you better go inside unless you want me to reverse out of this driveway and take you back to my house. I do want to keep doing things the right way and I'm glad you like it, but when you look at me like that, all I can think of is having you back in my bed."

Leaning over, I place a chaste—for me, at least—kiss to his lips before pulling back just slightly. "Soon, baby. Soon you're going to have me in your bed. And on your couch and in your kitchen and everywhere else you've imagined." With one more quick peck, I'm out of his car running up the porch before he shakes himself out of the stupor I left him in.

The driver's window rolls down. "I'm going to get you back for that, love. That's a promise."

Giggling, I let myself inside, knowing he'll definitely pay me back and looking forward to it.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

Once again, I'm rushing around getting ready. Edward and I are going on another double date with Emmett and Rose tonight.

We've been on a few now. We usually go with Rose and Emmett, but we've also been out with Alice and Jasper. It's not that good for Edward and me to be alone together while we're still trying to take things slowly, so these dates work great.

I'm just pulling on my shoes when he rings the bell and it's time for us all to go.

For the first time we end up heading to a popular pub that's close by. Edward tells me he's been there a few times with Emmett and Rose before as well as with some of his co-workers. I'm guessing that includes Peter, but we have an unspoken agreement not to speak his name again if possible.

"Are you sure you're okay with going here?" Everyone has asked me several times if I'm okay going here.

I want to roll my eyes, but they're all just being nice and showing they care about me. They've mentioned this place before, but always nix the idea and it's because of me. I finally insisted we go. "Yes, it's fine. Just because I'm too young to drink doesn't mean I can't enjoy hanging out here."

"Okay, but just let us know if you want to leave."

"Baby, I'll be fine, but I promise to let you all know if I want to go."

Edward's hand goes to my lower back, leading me inside and steering me toward a booth near the back. We don't want to hide that we're dating now, so small touches and shows of affection are okay.

We sit down and almost immediately a waitress comes over for our order. She looks a little too hard at Edward and Emmett, but I can't blame her. She manages to still behave professionally, so I don't mind if she wants to enjoy the view.

Em, being the human disposal he is, orders several things for our table. I get water while everyone else orders beer. At first Edward starts to also order water until I tell the waitress to disregard that and bring him a beer too. After that, he finally seems to settle down.

"Bella, I meant to tell you that I love that outfit on you," Rose points out.

I splurged with my first check from the shelter and bought a new pair of jeans and some heeled sandals. "Thanks. This is the first time in forever I've shopped for clothes I can actually wear in public. I still need to build a new wardrobe, especially now that I'm working, but I figured jeans are always a good place to start."

Edward, always trying to help, pipes up. "If you need some new clothes, I'd be more than happy to buy you some. Though just so you know, I hope you keep up your old wardrobe when we're alone together."

I burst out laughing at that. "You used to hate my clothes … or lack of. My, how times have changed." That earns me a sexy wink, which earns him a kiss. "Anyway, I really appreciate it, but I'm okay. I have some things Rose gave me and I'm also going to visit Alice at her boutique soon."

"Oh, I've been wanting to go check her place out. Do you care if I go with you?" Rose asks.

As if I'd tell her no. "Of course you can go with me. We'll figure out when we both can make it, and I'll call Alice to let her know."

Our food and drinks arrive pretty fast, and we sit around eating and talking for a while.

We're laughing and having a great time when a shadow falls over the table. Looking up, I see the prosecutor from James' trial.

"Well hello, Isabella." He looks at the rest of the table. "Ah, fancy seeing you here, Detective Cullen."

Edward has gone rigid next to me. "I'm surprised to see you here, Black. I didn't think this little hole in the wall was your speed."

"Yes, well, it usually isn't, but I guess this is my lucky night." His eyes cut back to me. "I've been wanting to come check on you and make sure you're okay since the trial, Isabella."

I really don't want to talk to him, but he can make things more difficult if he suspects anything. "That's thoughtful, but I'm doing really good. Thanks." I try to smile without it looking too fake.

"So, what are you doing hanging out with these two?" He motions to Edward and Emmett.

"Oh well … um … I work with Rose now at her shelter and she and Emmett were nice enough to offer me a place to stay while I work on getting my life straight."

Edward speaks up. "She's also my date."

Black's eyebrows shoot up. "Really? Well, I must say I'm surprised to hear that. Very surprised."

I don't care for the look that comes across his face. "Well, I need to be going. Nice to see you all. Isabella, enjoy your evening." Then he leaves.

Edward watches him until the door closes behind him. "I hate that guy."

"Yeah, he's slimy. I've known too many guys like him. Hopefully that's the last we'll see of him for a while," Rose says as she also looks at the door.

Tension settles over our table. I'm starting to get uncomfortable, but leave it to Emmett to shake us all out of our thoughts and worries.

"Who wants to play me? I feel the need to kick some ass," Em says as he motions to the pool table.

After he beats both Edward and Rose, he looks to me. "So, little Bella, you want to lose to me too?"

"I don't know. I'm not the most coordinated person. Will you go easy on me?"

"Bella, you don't have to play," Edward says.

"Yeah, Bella. He just loves to show off. Don't let him talk you into it if you don't want to play," Rose chimes in.

"Nah. It's okay. I don't mind. But, um, can I go first?"

Em looks like the cat that ate the canary. "Sure. At least that way you'll get to have a shot."

He racks up the balls while I select a stick. "Okay, here you go, Bells. The balls are ready."

I lean over, checking everything out. "So I just use this stick and hit the white ball and try to hit the other balls into those pockets?"

Em's smirk grows even bigger. "Yep. That's it."

I look back at him. "Okay. Here goes." I look to Edward. "Wish me luck."

He walks over to me and leans down close to my ear. "Good luck." Then he backs away to go stand with Rose again.

I look at them both once more before making my shot. Three solid balls sink into pockets. I start calling my shots and making them while Emmett stands there with his mouth hanging wide open and a dumbfounded look on his face.

Edward and Rose are silent too.

Finally, I only have the eight ball left and call that shot too. Before I can line up, Em finally snaps out of his daze. "Hey! You know how to play. You tricked me!"

I lean down and line up this final shot. Without looking at him, I let him know he was correct. "Just be grateful I didn't make you put money on it. I've made plenty hustling people like you." I throw him a quick wink before sinking the eight ball.

"Oh my gosh! That was awesome. Thank you so much, Bella. He's needed someone to do this for years now." Rose runs over, giving me a hug.

Edward comes over, giving me a hug too before whispering in my ear, "Baby, that was so hot."

"I'll give you private lessons sometime." I smirk at him.

"Absolutely." He grins.

"Okay, break it up, you two. Time to go." Em comes over, breaking our bubble.

"Did you have fun, Bella?" Rose asks as we walk out.

I look at Edward and then at Em and Rose. "Best time ever."

Okay so... Lots happening. Bella met the 'rents. What'd ya think of Esme? Hate her? Understand her? Sympathize? Want her to die a slow death? Overall how'd you think it went?

A double date for E/B and Em/R. Good times ... especially when Bella hustled poor Em in pool. Lol

See you next time for part 2 of chapter 13...